Wisconsin is regarded as the “Dairy State.” Its well-known grasslands provide excellent habitats for different types of snakes.
Additionally, Wisconsin has more than 12,000 lakes, including the well-known twin lakes between which Madison, the state capital, is located.
Many creatures find Wisconsin’s harsh winters difficult to endure, yet snakes don’t appear deterred from establishing there.
There are different types of snakes in Wisconsin, including some water snakes that are frequently seen in the state’s lakes and rivers.
1. Smooth Green Snake
Smooth Green Snakes are first on Wisconsin‘s list of types of snakes.
Almost all of Wisconsin, except the state’s extreme south, is home to smooth green snakes.
These types of snakes in Wisconsin are vivid green, making them simple to spot.
This snake is known as the smooth green snake because of how its scales lie and its smooth appearance.
Smooth green snakes are often easily distinguished by their solid, brilliant green color; however, the vividly green Wisconsin foliage in the summer can conceal these little snakes.
They never grow over two feet and are normally around a foot or a foot and a half long.
2. Western Ribbon Snake
Western ribbon snakes are comparatively uncommon in Wisconsin. They are primarily found in the state’s central or southern regions.
These snakes are typically two feet long and have three yellow or orange-reddish stripes along the length of their bodies on the back and sides.
Western ribbon snakes have dark green or black scales. They are completely harmless to people and will leave you alone if you do not handle them.
3. Northern Ring-Necked Snake
One of the small types of snakes in Wisconsin includes Northern Ring-necked Snakes. They only grow to be around two feet long.
They prefer to reside close to deciduous trees, which are common in Wisconsin, and the boundaries of woods.
Northern ring-necked snakes are typically found in agricultural fields and backyards in rural and suburban areas, such as the margins of Wisconsin woods.
They might establish winter homes in abandoned tree stumps or other places to avoid the harsh Wisconsin winter weather.
4. Bull Snake
One of the biggest types of snakes is the bull snake. They are not poisonous but frequently hiss or rattle their tails like rattlesnakes if they feel threatened.
The maximum length of these snakes is eight feet. If you are in an area where bull snakes tend to live, you should keep an eye out above you and on the ground because they like to climb trees, poles, and other objects.
Bull snakes, often known as gopher snakes, prefer sandy terrain suitable for burrowing. They are often found in Wisconsin’s drier regions and near grassland bluffs.
These types of snakes in Wisconsin are not poisonous, but if they sense danger, they frequently hiss or ratchet their tails like a rattlesnake.
5. Milk Snake
Except for the state’s northern section, milk snakes can be found around Wisconsin.
Wide red bands on milk snakes can give them the appearance of poisonous coral snakes. Be at ease, though! Coral snakes don’t exist in Wisconsin.
A milk snake is three feet long, has large red bands, and has white bands on either side of the red bands. You won’t be hurt.
Milk snakes are frequently discovered in abandoned buildings and on farms. In Wisconsin, they may also be seen around fences or the boundaries of agricultural fields.
Except for the state’s northern section, milk snakes can be found around Wisconsin.
6. North American Blue Racer Snake
The North American blue racer snake is another snake that enjoys dry woodlands and agricultural fields.
These types of snakes in Wisconsin have a maximum length of five to six feet. They are quite swift and can move several miles per hour if they really want to.
The blue racer is, however, most well-known for the bright blue color of its scales. Blue racer snakes typically have a pale cream or gray belly and a distinguishing blue-gray color.
Despite your temptation, resist the urge to pick up this gorgeously colored snake.
Although the blue racer is not poisonous, you shouldn’t harass or attempt to touch it because it is a wild animal.
7. Queen Snake
Queen snakes are also one of the types in Wisconsin, which only grow to a length of two to three feet.
They favor warm streams and rivers over chilly lakes. That’s because crayfish, found in small streams and rivers, are their main food source.
The habitat that a queen snake inhabits affects its coloration. Queen snakes are typically brown, tan, olive, or gray to blend into the water and the coastline.
As a result, they can hunt without being seen by their prey. Queen snake coiling in the grass.
These types of snakes choose warm-water streams and rivers over cold lakes because they prey mostly on crayfish, which are found in these types of waters.
8. Common Water Snake
The common water snake is one of the extremely prevalent types of snakes in Wisconsin.
Water snakes can be found all around the state. Big, heavy-water snakes are quite common in Wisconsin.
They barely grow to a maximum length of a few feet, but their bodies are incredibly large and massive.
They consume frogs, crawfish, and other amphibians. Cottonmouth snakes are frequently confused with common water snakes.
The common water snake is not poisonous, but the Cottonmouth is. Looking at the mouth will help you quickly distinguish between the two.
Common water snakes lack the white patches that cottonmouth snakes have near and inside their mouths.
In Wisconsin, there are no cottonmouth snakes. It’s likely a common water snake if you find a wide, heavy snake in a Wisconsin stream or lake.
9. Eastern Massasauga
The eastern massasauga snake is a rather short, broad snake.
Although it doesn’t seem particularly hazardous, you should always be cautious if you see it because it is venomous.
Although they are only a few feet long, their wide bodies give them the appearance of being much bigger.
An eastern massasauga snake may hiss or rattle its tail to warn you to leave if you shock or surprise it. Take that advice to heart. To safely exit the area, go gently and cautiously.
10. Timber Rattlesnake
In Wisconsin, timber rattlesnakes are uncommon. However, if you are trekking, working, or engaging in any other activity in the area they prefer to be in, you should always be on the lookout for them.
The Timber rattlesnake has extremely lethal venom that can kill humans. However, most timber rattlesnakes would much rather flee from people than bite them.
On average, these types of snakes in Wisconsin can grow six feet long. They feature black markings throughout their dark brown or tan coloring.
Timber rattlesnakes prefer to hang out near fields and forests, but when they’re out hunting, they might wander throughout Wisconsin’s woodlands.
11. Red Bellied Snake
The red-bellied snake is next on our list of types of snakes in Wisconsin. Two distinctive coloring characteristics distinguish Red-bellied Snakes (Storeria ) from other species. Particular to this species is a crimson underbelly.
A light brown band behind the back is another secondary characteristic most red-bellied snakes share. The crimson-bellied Snake’s crimson underside exhibits homogeneous coloring.
Despite being widespread, the Red-bellied Snake is difficult to identify because it is a fossorial species.
Since they spend much of their lives below, snakes tend to be modest in size. The largest Red-bellied Snake can reach 10 inches long, but most are 6 to 8 inches long.
Small and non-threatening, this species. It also doesn’t bite. This species may occasionally be found during the breeding season, which is often around the start of the summer.
Female Red-bellied Snakes give birth to live young snakes. When handled, the species uses a form of death-mimicry, keeping quiet and biting its lips.
The number of snakes that each female gives birth to varies. Females can give birth to a clutch of up to nine snakes after they achieve sexual maturity.
12. Eastern Foxsnake
One of the common snakes near Wisconsin farms is the Eastern Foxsnake (Pantherophis ). These snakes are drawn to new and ancient farms primarily because of their prey.
These types of snakes consume rodents like rats as part of their diet.
Unlike most of the state’s other species, Eastern fox snakes are constrictors. Before devouring their prey, they suffocate it.
Other prey, such as frogs, are also typical for the species. Other characteristics of this species include the capacity to emit a bad odor when threatened.
Comparisons to the smell of wet foxes also inspired this odor’s name.
These types of snakes in Wisconsin, which can live for a few years, are frequently spotted basking in the summer sun in open fields. During the winter, they burrow underground.
13. Dekay’s Brown Snake
The Dekay’s Brownsankes (Storeria ) have a tiny body. This widespread species is frequently observed in sizes that barely exceed 10 inches. The snake only comes in brown.
This species only appears in shades of gray and dark brown. Dekay’s Brown snake is a non-venomous snake that inhabits arid areas near water and at various elevations.
These types of snakes can even be found at elevations higher than 4,000 feet in Wisconsin. Their smaller size also constricts the amount of prey Dekay’s Brownsnakes can eat.
Its most significant food source is snails. Given its smaller size and rarity—exceeding 12 inches in length—the snake is a regular food item for other environmental predators.
One of the most frequent predators of snakes is toads, particularly of young Dekay’s Brown Snakes.
Initially perplexed by earthworms, this snake has been sighted occasionally gorging on them. Due to its gentle temperament and non-venomous bite, it is manageable.
14. Eastern Hognose Snake
The most common slightly venomous snake in Wisconsin is the Eastern Hognose Snake (Heterodon platirhinos), which has its unique venom.
This snake only has venomous saliva, which does not affect humans in the event of a bite.
This snake rarely bites people since it first emits warning signs. Before biting, it raises its head off the ground like a cobra.
Toads, one of their most frequent prey species, are affected by the venomous saliva of Eastern Hognose Snakes. This snake can eat deadly toads because it is immune to their secretions.
Outside of Wisconsin, the snake may be black, but inside the state, it may have a colorful pattern and orange-red marks behind its head.
The species’ primary color is brown. However, its dorsal coloring is distinct. It may have uniform or blotched dorsal coloration.
15. Gopher Snake
The Gopher Snake (Pituophis catenifer) is a common gray-to-brown species with dark brown patches.
It also has a distinctive yellow base color with brown blotches. The distinctive biting techniques used by gopher snakes make them distinct.
These particular types of snakes in Wisconsin use rattlesnake-like tail-shaking motions to simulate a bite.
A species of gopher snake uses constriction to kill its victims, which include small birds and other small snakes.
A gopher snake can survive up to 15 years in a location with abundant food, but it is also prey to other predatory species, particularly in its early years.
If cornered, non-venomous gopher snakes will attack people. They bite you, but there is no venom injection afterward.
16. Plains Garter Snake
One of the five native garter snakes to Wisconsin is the plains garter snake (Thamnophis radix).
They have gray or dark green body colors, and dorsal stripes are a mixture of yellow and orange. When the snake is in its hiding places in April, this species is in hibernation.
Some of its wintering locations include constructed structures and rodent burrows. After emerging once more, it quickly begins breeding again.
The juvenile Plains Garter Snakes give birth only at the end of the summer or autumn.
In the summer, short vegetation in Wisconsin may be home to these types of snakes, which can grow up to 4 feet long.
The Plains Garter Snake explores this area in search of earthworms and salamanders. It occasionally eats little frogs or immature toads.
By the conclusion of the summer, it is still a lively species. The species hibernates in October, with uncommon sightings only occurring during the winter.
Prairie Garter Snake numbers are stable across Wisconsin. This species’ high flexibility is unique.
The ability to survive at high altitudes is one of its unique adaptation qualities.
While Wisconsin’s highest point is only 1.900 feet above sea level, Plains Garter Snakes have been spotted as high as 7.000 feet.
17. Western Fox Snake
The Pantherophis ramspotti snake has a base color of gray with dark brown or black blotches.
Western Fox Snakes are constrictors, just like the Grey Rat Snake. Prey like mice and rabbits are the first things they suffocate.
These types of snakes are found in Wisconsin near water sources, wooded areas, and abandoned fields. Western Foxsankes might coexist with people.
Western fox snakes, like other snakes in Wisconsin, could seem poisonous. The gray species rattles its tail in a way reminiscent of rattlesnakes.
The species is adaptive even in disturbed environments like active farms and still occurs in low numbers throughout the state.
It lives close to human settlements but prefers to flee when its habitat is subjected to much human activity.
The Western Fox Snake can travel great distances in search of food and may approach suburban areas in search of prey.
18. Western Worm Snake
Western worm snake is last on our list of types of snakes in Wisconsin.
Territories appropriate for non-venomous Western Worm Snakes (Carphophis vermis) can only be found in extreme Southwest Wisconsin.
This endangered species dwells secretively underground. Western worm snakes’ small size and pink ventral color serve as visual cues.
The worms and insects that the species consumes are the source of its name. This species, which lives in loose soil, is known to deposit eggs towards the start of the summer.
Western worm snake females can produce clutches of up to 8 eggs.
